Mail receiver and deliverer for railway-trains.



No. 872,301; PATENTBD NOV. 26, 1907. A. MATLAK, K. WISNIBWSKI & M.SKIKIEWIGZ. MAIL RECEIVER AND DBLIVBRER FOR RAILWAY TRAINS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 9.1907.

3 SHEETSSHEET 1.

ca. wnsnmsmu. 0.1:.

No. 872,301. PATENTED NOV. 26, 1907. A. MATLAK, K. WISNIEWSKI & M.SKIKIEWIGZ.

MAIL RECEIVER AND DELIVERER FOR RAILWAY TRAINS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 9.1907.

TS-SHBET 2.

No. 872,301. v PATENTED NOV. 26, 1907. A. MATLAK, K. WISNIBWSKI & M.SKIKIEWIGZ.

MAIL RECEIVER AND DELIVERER FOR RAILWAY TRAINS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 9.1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

ERS co., WASHINGTON, n v.

THE mums PET Jbormaa UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANTON MATLAK, KASIMIR WISNIEWSKI, AND MARIAN SKIKIEWICZ, OF CHICAGO,ILLINOIS.

MAIL RECEIVER AND DELIVERER FOR RAILWAY-TRAINS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 26, 1907.

Application filed September 9. 1907. Serial No. 391.960.

I i To all whom it may concern:

. side of the railway Be it known that we, ANTON MATLAK,

KASIMmWIsNIEWSKI, and MARJAN SKIKIE- WIoz, subject of Austria, subjectof Russia, and citizen of the United States of America, respectively,and residents of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail Receivers andDeli-verers for Railway- Trains, of which the following is aspecification. This invention relates to a mail delivery and catchingapparatus for railway mail cars, and has for its object to provide asimple and efficient structural arrangement and combination of certaincatching of the mail, and a like ready and certain delivery of the mailwhile the train is in motion, all as will hereinafter more fullyappear.

In the accompanying drawings :Fig-ure 1, is a side elevation, with partsin section, illus trating the resent invention in place on a railway ma'car. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a general transversesection. Fig. 4 is a detail section of the globular mail bag holder..Fig. 5, is an enlarged detail plan of one of the delivery chutes. Fig.6, is a detail transverse section of the same, on line wm, Fig. 5. Fig.7, is an enlarged detail transverse section, showing a modifiedconstruction of the receiving troughs.

Similar numerals of reference indicate like parts in the several views.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the mail car, on the roof ofwhich are arranged a pair of longitudinal receiving troughs 2 whichextend. approximately the length of the car and are arranged alongsidethe car hood as shown. One of said troughs is adapted to receive mailfrom the right hand track, and the other one to receive mail from theleft hand side of said track. In the present improvement said troughsare provided with two discharge chutes 3 arranged in spaced relation andextending down into the interior of the car as shown; with the bottomportions of the troughs inclined towards said chutes so as to cause themail holders hereinafter described to roll towards the next adjacentchute, when dropped at any point into one of said troughs.

In the modified form of the troughs illustrated in Fig. 7, the same willhave a skeleton form, and comprise a series of longitudinalparts'adapted to effect a ready and bars or rails 2 and a series oftransverse U shaped connecting members 2 as shown the pur of t 1e troughto a minimum.

4 is a vertical crane having a vertically adjustable overhanging arm 5upon which the mail holder is suspended in a position above one or theother of the aforesaid receiving troughs 2, and in a manner to bereadily discharged therefrom as hereinafter more fully set forth.

6 is a Windlass attached to the vertical post of the crane and adaptedto afford convenient means for raising and lowering the overhanging arm5 aforesaid in the practical use of the apparatus.

7 are laterally projecting arms attached to the roof of the car andadapted to pass beneath the overhanging arm 5 to dislodge the mailholder therefrom and so that said mail holder will drop by gravity intoa receiving trough 2 to be conducted into the interior of the car.

8 is the mail holder above referred to, formed of two semi-sphericalsections hinged together and provided with a suitable latch 9, andsuspension link 10 by which the holder is suspended from the overhangingarm 5 of the crane.

The holder 8 will be formed of suitably interwoven wires and will beprovided in its interior surface with a cushion springs 11 adapted toafford a yielding support for a mail bag or package placed in theinterior of the holder.

12 are discharge chutes extending through the side walls of the car andhaving a curved form as shown.

13 are radius links pivoted at one end to the car body and at the otherend to the chutes 12 and adapted to guide said chutes in their movementfrom a dormant to an active position; the dormant position of the chutesbeing shown to the left in, Fig. 3, while the active position of thechutes is shown to the right of the car in Fig. 3.

14 is a valve or gate arranged at the outer end of each chute andnormally heldto a position closing the opening in such end of the chute,by a spring (not shown), and so that a mail holder within said chutewill be supported therein until said gate is operated as hereinafterdescribed.

15 is an operating arm on the valve or gate and extending laterallytherefrom.

series of radial 'siderable length and will 16 is an elongatedstationary operating bar arranged in the path of the valve arm 15 andadapted to operate said arm and open the valve or gate 14 as the mailcar moves past said operating bar.

17 is a stationary receiving trough extending longitudinally alongsidethe railway track and located in a plane beneath the plane in whichtheouter ends of the discharge chutes 12 move when in their activeposition above set forth, and as illustrated in Fig. 3. Such receivingtrough will be of conhave its bottom portion inclined downward from eachend towards its center as shown.

18 is a conduit connecting with the central bottom portion of thereceiving trough 17 and extending underground into the interior of thestation house in order to automatically convey the mail holders fromsaid receiving trough 17 into a chamber provided therefor in saidstation house.

Having thus fully described our said invention what we claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a mail catching and delivery apparatus for railway mail cars, thecombination of a track crane, a car, a dislodging arm on said car and alongitudinal receiving trough extending approximately the length of thecar and provided with a pair of discharge chutes extending down into theinterior of the car, and with the bottom of the trough inclined towardssaid chutes, substantially as set forth.

2. In a mail catching and delivery apparatus for railway mail cars, thecombination of a discharge chute extending laterally through the sidewall of the car and having a curved form, a gate closing the outer endof said chute, a stationary operating bar for said gate, and astationary longitudinal receiving trough arranged beneath the outer endof said chute, substantially as set forth.

3. In a mail catching and delivery apparatus for railway mail adischarge chute extending laterally through the side wall of the car andhaving a curved form, a pair of radius links forming a pivotalattachment for said chute to the body of the car, a gate closing theouter end of said cars, the combination ofchute, a stationary operatingbar for said gate, and a stationary longitudinal receiving trougharranged beneath the outer end of said chute, substantially as setforth.

4. In a mail catching and delivery apparatus for railway mail cars, thecombination of a discharge chute extending laterally through the sidewall of the car and having a curved form, a gate closing the outer endof said chute, a stationary operating bar for said gate, a stationarylongitudinal receiving trough arranged beneath the outer end of saidchute, and a conduit connected to said receiving trough and extending tothe interior of the railway station, substantially as set forth.

5. In a mail catching and delivery apparatus for railway mail cars ofthe type herein described, a holder for the mail comprising a pair ofsemi-spherical sections hinged together a latch for securing the sametogether, and a series of cushion springs arranged on the interiorsurface of said sections substan tially as set forth.

. Signed at Chicago, September, 1907.

"ANTON MATLAK.

KASIMIR WISNIEWSKI. MARJAN SKIKIEWICZ.

In presence of:

ROBERT BURNS, Louis Sxnrmwroz.

Illinois this Gthiday of

